Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The First of Many, I'm Sure
The other day I was driving Bella to one of her classmate's birthday parties. All I was going to do was walk her to the door, discuss with the mom a rendezvous time, and be on my merry way. The drive was pretty quiet until Bella broke the silence with a question she asked through clenched teeth. "Moooommmmm...why are you wearing those ripped jeans to the party?" I could tell by the way she said it she'd been thinking about it for a while.
Hello! Has the girl not been following the trends? Tattered denim is totally in right now. But with my flip-flops and no makeup, I guess I was looking pretty scrappy.
"Bella, I am just going to walk you to the door and ask Katie's mom what time to pick you up. No one else is even going to see me." That is, unless Stacy and Clinton from TLC's What Not to Wear were hiding in the bushes, waiting to sabotage me for dressing like a ragamuffin in public, and if so, HOW AWESOME WOULD THAT BE?
She didn't say much after that. I was a little surprised at her shame in my outfit, considering she dresses like a total gypsy. This is the first time she's been embarrassed by me and I found it to be both funny and sad. As I drove away I realized I'd just experienced a rite of passage as a mother.
Hello! Has the girl not been following the trends? Tattered denim is totally in right now. But with my flip-flops and no makeup, I guess I was looking pretty scrappy.
"Bella, I am just going to walk you to the door and ask Katie's mom what time to pick you up. No one else is even going to see me." That is, unless Stacy and Clinton from TLC's What Not to Wear were hiding in the bushes, waiting to sabotage me for dressing like a ragamuffin in public, and if so, HOW AWESOME WOULD THAT BE?
She didn't say much after that. I was a little surprised at her shame in my outfit, considering she dresses like a total gypsy. This is the first time she's been embarrassed by me and I found it to be both funny and sad. As I drove away I realized I'd just experienced a rite of passage as a mother.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
A Few More Check Marks On My To-Do List
Have you ever tried to photograph your own Band-aids in the mirror in an attempt to capture a somewhat flattering image? Don't bother. It's too hard.
Yesterday I got my travel immunizations. I assumed I'd need only one, which was the second Hepatitis A of the two-part series I started last year. I was only partially right.
When you get travel shots, it's not quite a simple and quick process as it might seem. It's not like they say, oh, you're going to Nepal? Ok, you need X, Y, and Z shots. Now lift your sleeve...this may pinch a little.
The doctor must ask a barrage of very specific questions to determine the exact cocktail that must be formulated. A small sample of the conversation:
Where will you be working? In the city.
Who will you be working on? Children.
Will you be working on any adults? Maybe.
Who will you be working with? I don't know.
Where will you be sleeping? In a hotel.
Will you be handling any farm animals? No.
Do you plan to get pregnant while there? No.
Will you be sexually active while there? No.
Do you know the top two causes of death of young healthy people traveling in third world countries? (I didn't) It's car accidents and swimming while drunk.
Are you aware of any animals you will be in close proximity with? I know there are a lot of Monkeys running around Kathmandu, and there will be yaks on the trekking trails.
You're going trekking? Yes.
To what altitude? 13,500 ft.
Tell me what you know about Altitude Sickness. Know the symptoms and not ignore them if you have them.
Where will you be staying while trekking? In the villages, in tea houses.
At this point the doctor turns from her computer screen and faces me. "I'm so jealous right now," she says.
Ultimately she decided I need that second Hep A shot, and that boosters for MMR and polio were necessary. I don't have to get a new Rx for antibiotics since last year's dose doesn't expire for another year and I never had to use them. That's in case a bug throws a party in my stomach.
While I'll bring a medicine called Diamox to help my body adjust to less oxygen at altitude, I will only have to take it if I need it. In addition, I am happy to report I will not have to take Malarone (for malaria) this time. You have to take it daily, starting a week before your adventure begins. To summarize this expensive burden:
28 days @ $6 per day = YIKES!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Confucius Say...
I SWEAR THIS STORY IS TOTALL TRUE.
"Ok honey," I said to Dale, sitting across the table from me. "Whatever this says, it is predicting how my mission is going to turn out."
We'd just polished off a platter of sushi and the waitress plopped down the bill and four fortune cookies. I grabbed the closest one and snapped open the crispy little confection.
This little lucky charm's going in my suitcase.
"Ok honey," I said to Dale, sitting across the table from me. "Whatever this says, it is predicting how my mission is going to turn out."
We'd just polished off a platter of sushi and the waitress plopped down the bill and four fortune cookies. I grabbed the closest one and snapped open the crispy little confection.
This little lucky charm's going in my suitcase.
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